Hello, readers! For those of you who have read this story in 2010, the old chapters will be found at the end of this fic. Please enjoy a new and revised version of this story :)

~Chapter 1~

TOHRU

"Hush-a-bye
Don't you cry
Go to sleep, my little baby.
When you wake,
you shall have,
all the pretty little h-"

"Honda-San?" Tohru spun to lock eyes with her listener.

"Ah! H-hello, Yuki-kun." Between the shock and humiliation, she scrambled to set the book in her hands behind her back. "I was just… What, um, brings you here, Yuki-kun? Is everything alright?"

A small smile played at Yuki's lips, but he could stand to save her the embarrassment by not asking. "Shigure wanted me to let you know that he will be leaving this week. I believe he has some work to do at the main house." Yuki had to admit, something about the whole thing made him feel uncomfortable. Shigure would visit the main house often, but Yuki wondered what he would have to do for a whole week there – more importantly he wondered why it was that Shigure was not telling him the reason. It would take a genius though, he figured, to understand what Shigure was up to all the time.

"Ah, yes." She nodded, "I see." She smiled at Yuki, and his eyes settled on her. They shared a silent moment before Yuki's eyes flickered with amusement.

"I did knock," he informed her suddenly with a light chuckle, "Various times, actually." She gasped at that. "You seemed to be lost in song – a beautiful song, if I may add." He flashed a smile at her, watching her squirm under his gaze.

"Oh, th-thank you," She struggled, "That is, my mother use to sing that to me." She glanced down at a picture she had sitting on her nightstand. The same picture Yuki had dug out of the landslide the first night he saw her.

"It's lovely – you have a lovely voice," he complimented. When she only looked down, at a loss for words, he decided that this was enough for now. He smiled, leaving the conversation at, "You will have to sing the whole thing to me sometime. I feel sorry that I interrupted."

She nodded, "Yes, of course," and swung a piece of hair behind her ear with her fingers. Her face was so hot she thought she may break a sweat. When she regained some composure, she stole a glance up at him.

"Shigure was hoping you could come down and see him off," He suggested, looking away from her now. She nodded quickly.

"Oh, yes," a smile lit up her face as she continued, "I was thinking about making some tea anyhow. Would you like some?"

"I would love that." He returned her smile.

In the kitchen, Shigure sat with a newspaper in hand. "Tohru-kun," he beamed as he greeted her, setting down his paper slightly. "Have you come down to wish me a safe travel?"

"Yes," She returned warmly, making her way to the tea kettle. "Yuki-kun and I were just going to enjoy a late night cup of tea, would you like one as well, Shigure-san?" She picked up the kettle, filling it with water, and then setting it onto the stove to warm.

"I would like nothing more than a freshly made cup of tea from my sweet little flower," he dazzled, "A cup of tea will warm me on my journey. Lord knows I need something to keep me alive and well during my visit to the main house." He glanced at Yuki, "You know how cold our lovely Akito can be." Yuki rolled his eyes at him, disgustedly, taking a seat at the table diagonally of him.

"Now, why again is there urgent need to take a week at the main house?" Yuki looked at Shigure sharply, and Shigure waved his hand, dismissing Yuki's question.

"Surely you, Yuki, of all people would understand." Shigure smiled almost devilishly at him, "It is what Akito wants me to do." That made Yuki feel worse. "Private business." Yuki glared at Shigure as he said the last part.

Tohru made her way over to the table with two steaming mugs. "For you, Shigure-san," she set the tea down in front of him.

"Oh my. Thank you, little flower!" He rubbed his hands together happily.

"And yours, Yuki-kun."

"Thank you, Honda-san."

"You're both very welcome!" She cheered, and then turned to make hers last. Yuki took a slow sip from his cup, looking up through his bangs at Shigure once more.

"I see. So I take it Akito has been feeling well?"

"I do not know, to be honest with you, Yuki." He looked down at the table solemnly, "I only do as I'm told. Just as we all do." Yuki knew Shigure was still leaving something important out, but he accepted.

"Tohru-kun, I wish I had my own personal supply of your tea all the time!" Shigure whined, changing the subject. Tohru giggled, sipping at her own tea as she took a seat next to Yuki. They made small talk until their cups were empty. Shigure took one last sip, setting his mug down on the table. "Ah, well, I believe I should be off."

Tohru gasped, "Eh?! At this time of night? I thought you would be leaving in the morning!"

The sooner he leaves, the better, Yuki thought to himself, agitated at the previous conversation. He would have to be on his toes this week, he thought.

Shigure stood up and stretched, "Ah now that would be no fun. It would be best to arrive at the main house as early tomorrow morning as possible, anyhow." He smiled, "Wouldn't want to keep our head of the household waiting for me too long." He simply chuckled, and walked toward his bags near the door. He picked a coat out from one of the nubs on the wall and slipped it over his shoulders.

"Shigure-san," Tohru stood, walking a few steps toward him and then pausing, "Please be safe on your way there and back. Don't forget to call," She smiled sweetly.

"Of course, sweet flower," He returned her smile, "Please be sure to welcome me with another one of your delicious cups of tea." She nodded. "Goodnight, kids! Be safe," With a wave, he was out the door. Tohru waved back at him.

"He's such a pain in the ass," Yuki muttered quietly as the door latched shut.

"Um, Y-Yuki-kun?"

"It's nothing," he took his own final sip from his mug, turning in his seat to look at Tohru. "He was right about your tea though. Always delicious, Honda-san." Tohru blushed at this.

"I'm glad," she simply said with a smile, and then sighed, "It will feel empty here without Shigure-san and Kyo-kun, won't it?" She walked back over to the table, making small conversation.

Yuki snorted lightly, "If by empty, you mean peaceful, then yes," he joked. She began to protest apologetically, when Yuki only held up a hand.

"No need waste your energy sticking up for them, Honda-san." He consoled with a tinge of annoyance. As he looked back at her, his features melted into kindness. "They are lucky to have someone like you worrying for them."

"I-I worry about all of you," She put her hands together passionately.

"Even me?" Yuki teased.

"I, um, of course, Yuki-kun!" She said at once. He chuckled.

"Knowing that, I believe I can sleep peacefully tonight." He stood slowly, walking toward the door to lock it safely, "Wouldn't want Shigure somehow finding his way back in," he joked dryly. Tohru laughed at that, and Yuki began making his way up the stairs. "Thank you again for the tea Honda-san, have a good night." Tohru watched him leave.

"You as well, Yuki-kun! Sweet dreams." She stood in place for a while. All of a sudden, she felt a chill. It was creepy being down here alone. Shigure was typically downstairs all day and night. She quickly made her way up the stairs a few minutes after Yuki and walked to her room, which was on the opposite end of the hall as Yuki's, and the farthest room from his. She shut her door behind her, looking into her room. Sure is dark… The white noise overtook her conscious mind... and quiet.

YUKI

Yuki thought over his conversation with Shigure, immediately trying to stop himself from overthinking. I'm sure everything is going to be just fine. He thought fondly to the girl down the hall. I'll just need to stay on my toes. I'll need to make sure she is safe no matter what. He thought over his responsibilities and silently wished she was closer to him – he felt if anything were to happen, it would most likely happen during the night. He tried to shake off his worries, slipping out of his clothes and wrapping a light robe around him. As he made his way to his bed, he flicked on the lamp next to his bed and decided he would read something new tonight. He walked over to his bookshelf, eyeing the different books, and then deciding on one of his favorite novels, "The Red Badge of Courage."

He settled into his bed, grabbing his reading glasses from the nightstand and pulling them on. He was lost in the story for hours it seemed, when he heard soft footsteps making their way down the hall. Tohru? To his surprise, he heard a knock on his door.

"Y-Yuki-kun? Are you still awake?"

"Come in, Honda-san," he called, curious. She opened the door, and stood in the doorway, looking extremely uncomfortable. "Are you alright?"

"I'm so sorry, Yuki-kun," She shifted her weight nervously and began wringing her hands. He set the book down on his lap, looking up at her. "I just, it's um…" She looked down, not being able to find words for what she was feeling. "With Shigure-san and Kyo-kun away, it is just… really quiet," she admitted. Her voice seemed to become quieter and quieter.

"Would you like to stay in here with me for a little while?" He set his book beside him on the bed and slid his legs over the side to face her directly. "There is nothing wrong with that. Are you afraid?"

"I suppose I am," she confessed, looking embarrassed. "I'm so sorry, Yuki-kun." He laughed softly.

"That's alright. I was actually only reading." He stood and made his way to his desk which was located right beside his bed. He drug his lamp along with him the short ways. "If you'd like, you can sleep in here tonight. I wouldn't hold it against you."

"I-I couldn't possibly!" Before she could protest, Yuki stopped her.

"You could. Don't worry," He eyed the couch that was beside his bookshelf, smiling up at her, "It really isn't that big of a deal. The bed is yours tonight." She looked at him, clearly feeling ashamed of herself.

"Yuki-kun, you are so very kind." She then put her head down in defeat.

"I will be over here reading for a little while longer. Will the light be a bother to you?"

"No, no. It may actually help me sleep," she admitted sheepishly.

He watched her climb onto his bed and couldn't help notice how cute the pink and yellow pajamas she wore were… Or how revealing. Stop, he begged himself, unable to tear his gaze away from the low-cut nature of her pajama shirt. The tiny shorts she wore exposed her long legs and his eyes travelled regretfully to her naked thigh with a blush. She was absolutely beautiful and he swallowed hard. Stop. He wanted to slap himself for daring think such things about her. Unforgiveable, he directed his thoughts at himself, you disgusting pervert. You are worse than Shigure. He looked away, heated and shamed, and returned his attention back to his book. "Goodnight, Honda-san," he muttered quietly, unable to look her in the eye.

"Goodnight, Yuki-kun," she pulled the covers over herself, "Th-thank you." He could tell from the sound of her voice she still felt uneasy, but he could not bring himself to look at her.

"You're welcome, it's really no problem." And he meant it. Soon, he heard her breathing even, and he took that as her having fallen asleep. He wanted to continue reading, but at this point he couldn't keep his focus on the words with the beautiful girl laying to his right. He looked up at her finally now, the light kissing parts of her face. She lay on her side, her hands both laying in front of her face and the covers pulled up to her neck. He studied her, and just as he was taking in her features, he noticed her lips. He wondered if he had only imagined it, but when he looked, he could have sworn he saw a small smile. He was glad. Not only because she was comfortable, but now she was safe too. A small sigh of relief escaped his lips, at least for tonight.

When he started to rise from his desk, Tohru began to stir. Yuki stopped dead and snapped his head in her direction, hoping he did not wake her. She rolled from her side to her back, the blanket falling down her torso slightly. Suddenly, her mouth parted, and she sighed.

"Yuki…" She continued to shift, her arms coming up to rest above her head, giving him a painfully erotic view. But now, he wasn't watching her body. His eyes locked onto her face as she sighed his name.

"Oh Tohru," he whispered softly, looking sadly but kindly in her direction, "Don't do this to me." His heart was beating hard, and he couldn't help the ache that followed in his chest. "I can only take so much." A small smile began to form on his lips as he gazed at her sleeping face. He focused on her lips, in some way wanting her to continue, and in another way, pleading that she wouldn't.